Thanks again to angel love for editing. She is the best.
Chapter 3
"There is no doubt that you are the man for the European expansion enterprise Tom. It is high time that we moved you over there full time to begin to bring this to a successful conclusion. I would like to offer you the position of Vice President of European Operations effective immediately. I would expect you to pick your team, make all of the arrangements and move to Brussels effective as soon as possible. Will you accept?"
"Gladly and with gratitude. It is no secret that this is what I have been working for. I can probably be over there within 45 days. I'll start on the plans right away."
After a few more words and thanks, Tom left George's office and went home to begin taking the first steps. It was important to do this right and he had been making plans for some time.
Tom first spoke to Shelly, telling her of the assignment and that it would mean moving to Brussels Belgium with the twins. He told her that she was welcome to come with them just as things were now. No change and no expectations. He wanted her to come but he did not want a wife or mother for his kids. The choice was hers and she wanted time to consider it.
Next, Tom spoke to Nicky's parents. Now that they knew the whole story, he wanted to proceed with the divorce. He had thought endlessly about her part in the whole charade and he kept coming back to the lack of trust that she displayed both for doubting him and for expecting that he could forgive her transgressions even when she felt she had reason. Try as he might, he could not forgive her for that.
He told them of his anger not at what Nicky was planning on doing, but that she had so little trust in him that she believed he was capable of doing what she was told. He was also hurt by her failure to come to him instead of believing the worst without giving him a chance to defend himself.
They both tried to convince him to reconsider until Nicky could speak for herself, but he refused, telling them that he had come to the decision after living with this for the last three months. He was going ahead and he was moving to Europe as soon as he could get things in order. He had filed the divorce and would let the lawyers take care of the details. He told them he would make plans to have Nicky moved into a private nursing home where she would get the best care. He would continue to pay for her care as he had agreed. All they had to do was be available if needed. Once divorced, they would become her guardians.
Of course, Betty and Harry were hurt that they would no longer be able to see the twins but he promised to come back periodically and bring them with him. He also planned to send pictures often and they could call from time to time. They would not be deprived of contact completely. He promised them that.
Over the next three weeks, Tom initiated the divorce, sold his home with the proceeds going into a trust for Nicky, put most of the furniture into storage and made the arrangements for Nicky's care. All was complete by the end of the month and Tom was ready to make the move. Shelly had finally decided that she would stay and not move with him. She cried over the twins but couldn't see any future for her if she went with Tom and Tom reluctantly agreed. Their arrangement was devoid of love and they both knew it. He gave her some money; enough to get a new start and wished her well. He would miss her.
He went to the hospital to see Nicky; the first time he had been there since Harris was discharged. She looked the same as before: serene, beautiful, with a smile that was almost mysterious. Betty had brushed her hair that day and it lay on the pillow, shining like gold. He felt a lump form in his throat. Why had she done this thing? Why had she chosen to believe Harris, rather than ask him for the truth? These things preyed on him as he watched her slow breathing. He loved her more than life itself, but without trust, he knew of no way to stay with her. Her loss of trust in him left him empty and alone, even with her there in front of him. He couldn't explain to anyone how he felt, but he felt it nonetheless. As he watched her slow breathing, the tears started and flowed freely for the next minutes. He let them come, shamelessly.
He had put all of his feelings about what she had done and how he felt about it in a letter. In the letter, he talked of her loss of trust in him; his life before he met her and how trust was so important to him; and he spoke of his last conversation with Harris. He didn't say what Harris had told him except to say that he believed him when he described that day. He also told her about Shelly and how she had helped him with the house and the twins. He apologized for living with her but told her that he needed someone since she had taken everything from him. He told her of the twins and how they were growing. He told her of his move to Brussels and his promotion.
He told her of the plans he had made with Betty and Harry to care for her and that he hoped she would someday regain her life. He poured his feelings into that letter and felt better afterwards.
He left the letter on the nightstand beside her bed. It was addressed to her and sealed with a small elephant sticker, the ones that the twins loved to paste on their toys. It was inside a manila envelope that said simply "For Nicky's eyes only." He stood up and, looking once more at her sleeping face, left.
He was scheduled to depart from Newark, NJ on a flight to Brussels, Belgium. The flight would take about 9 hours total and he wasn't looking forward to it. The twins would be a handful and he wished that Shelly were coming along to help with them. He talked with a doctor who prescribed some antihistamines for them that should help to make them sleepy. Maybe that would do some good and make the trip a little less hectic.
He finally arrived in Brussels with his sanity intact and was met by the man he had hired so long ago. He had found a wonderful place for them to stay, a nice little bungalow with a small garden, surrounded by a high block wall. It was his for the next three years and was paid for by the company. He had picked it out himself since it was close to the new site and convenient to the local daycare facility. He wanted the twins to be exposed to the local language and to the local customs. It would be a great learning experience for them.
He sat in a very new European style chair and looked out the window of his new flat. He could see the lights of Brussels spread out before him and if he looked off in the distance he could see the beltway around the city. He was pleased with things so far but there was sadness in him that wouldn't go away. He knew what it was but he was not going to recognize it or give it validation. He shrugged his shoulders and got up to see to the twins. They were so tired they had gone to bed without a whimper so he had far too much time on his hands. But tomorrow was the first day of the rest of his life, or so the saying went. He would take it a day at a time.
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Betty sat in the hospital room with her daughter and knitted. She was working on a slip over cardigan that she thought Nicky would love. She had already made sweaters for the twins and a scarf for Harry. She wondered if Harry would wear the scarf: he was always so warm that he needed very little. Oh, well. It was the thought that counted.
She knew that she should pack up the sweaters and get them ready for shipment to Belgium. The boys turned 3 years old this past month and Tom had sent pictures of their birthday party. They were growing so fast and they looked so much like their mother at that age. They certainly took after her. At the thought, she glanced over at Nicky, so still and so quiet. It had been 20 months, 13 days and some odd hours since the accident and Nicky had been in a coma for that entire time. The doctors still said she could wake up at any time, but Betty was beginning to accept the fact that her daughter was never going to be coming out of it. Harry had already said as much but Harry was always the pessimist. She was beginning to agree with him, however and it made her sad.
She went back to her knitting and was humming a little tune that Nicky had always liked when she thought she heard something. She turned to glance at Nicky and was shocked to see her eyes open and moving around the room. Nicky had never opened her eyes since she had been in this room. Betty dropped her knitting and rushed to Nicky's bedside. She took her hand and watched as Nicky moved her eyes toward her. Her eyes focused! She was looking at her!
"Nicky! Nicky dear! Can you hear me? Can you say something? Say something Nicky!" She was squeezing her hand and looking wildly around for a nurse. She remembered the call button and reached out for it. She held her finger down on the button while she continued to talk to her daughter.
